Agent 47
Regular Member
imported post
Well today I was riding to work, got about halfway there and I see a Everett PD car take a right in front of me. I continued to ride and saw that he had come to a stop and was walking back toward the sidewalk on which I rode. His greeting was...
Officer one: Hey, you work at Sams gun shop, don't you?
Me: Yeah.
Officer one: Its just that we have been getting a lot of calls about you riding along here carrying a gun. We haven't talked to you about this before have we?
Me: not for several weeks.
Officer one: I am sure you have a concealed permit don't you, why don't you just carry it concealed?
Me: I prefer to open carry especially with how cold it is, open carry allows me to zip up my vest and still have access to my gun.
We went back and forth like this for a few minutes he kept asking me if I would just conceal it so people wouldn't get frightened and I explained several reasons why I choose to open carry.
Officer one: You are just not getting the point I am trying to make.
Me: It's just that your basically stopping me to complain about how I choose to get dressed in the morning.
About this time a second officer had pulled in and approached me from behind. Officer one briefly appraised officer two on the situation.
Officer one: People get scared when they see someone carrying a gun.
Officer two: If someone is alarmed, then we have a problem.
Me: NO! that is incorrect, If it WARRANTS Alarm for the SAFETY of others, THAT! is brandishing.
Officer one: Of course, no one here is saying it is illegal, we just wanted to stop and ask if you can do us a favor and cover it up.
Me: Why do I owe you a favor? Quite frankly for me it is a civil rights thing, This is the way I choose to carry my gun. The way I think of it a right unexercised is a right lost.
Officer two: You are hurting your cause by what you are doing. People get scared by seeing you carrying a gun and when it comes time to vote they will make it illegal. You can only rub peoples noses in shit so long before they decide it stinks.
Me: Well if that turns out to be the case then I will gladly conceal carry, I always follow the laws and If I am required BY LAW to do so then I will. But as it stands I carry in a manner of my choosing. My priority's are firstaccessibility second comfort and last making other people comfortable.
Officer one: Why are you trying to make people uncomfortable?
Me: I'm not but people get scared by everything, when was the last time you got a call from a little old lady saying she saw a black person walking down the road in baggy cloths and thought he may be up to no good?
Officer one: Thats not the same thing.
Me: I think it's exactly the same thing, If your dispatchers get a call like that do they send one of you out to harass the scary black guy or do they explain to the caller that the person is doing nothing illegal.
Officer one: No, thats not there job.
Me: What do the dispatchers say when people call about me?
Officer one: Usually its just a man with a gun call and a description of you.
Me: Couldn't they receive a little training in the legality of OC so you guys aren't always getting bothered with these calls.
Officer one: I don't see that happening.
Officer two: Well obviously you are not listening to what we are trying to say so....
Me ( Looking at my watch) Sounds good, I got to get to workam I free to go?
Officer one: Just, ifyou would, can I get your name so I can fill out a tiny report and I will see what can be done about this.
I gave him my name ( first last middle initial ) and birth date and continued on my way. The entire encounter lasted about seven minutes, I started out as friendly as ever but did not back down or hesitate to forcibly argue my points and correct officer two's attempt to misrepresent the law to me. their were no people standing around watching so I saw no need to feint friendliness and made no secret of the fact that I will not be intimidated into following their wishes. I was calmer and more in control of the situation than in any of my previous encounters. It did go rather well as police encounters go but I thought I was done with the F'ing Everett police department.
Well today I was riding to work, got about halfway there and I see a Everett PD car take a right in front of me. I continued to ride and saw that he had come to a stop and was walking back toward the sidewalk on which I rode. His greeting was...
Officer one: Hey, you work at Sams gun shop, don't you?
Me: Yeah.
Officer one: Its just that we have been getting a lot of calls about you riding along here carrying a gun. We haven't talked to you about this before have we?
Me: not for several weeks.
Officer one: I am sure you have a concealed permit don't you, why don't you just carry it concealed?
Me: I prefer to open carry especially with how cold it is, open carry allows me to zip up my vest and still have access to my gun.
We went back and forth like this for a few minutes he kept asking me if I would just conceal it so people wouldn't get frightened and I explained several reasons why I choose to open carry.
Officer one: You are just not getting the point I am trying to make.
Me: It's just that your basically stopping me to complain about how I choose to get dressed in the morning.
About this time a second officer had pulled in and approached me from behind. Officer one briefly appraised officer two on the situation.
Officer one: People get scared when they see someone carrying a gun.
Officer two: If someone is alarmed, then we have a problem.
Me: NO! that is incorrect, If it WARRANTS Alarm for the SAFETY of others, THAT! is brandishing.
Officer one: Of course, no one here is saying it is illegal, we just wanted to stop and ask if you can do us a favor and cover it up.
Me: Why do I owe you a favor? Quite frankly for me it is a civil rights thing, This is the way I choose to carry my gun. The way I think of it a right unexercised is a right lost.
Officer two: You are hurting your cause by what you are doing. People get scared by seeing you carrying a gun and when it comes time to vote they will make it illegal. You can only rub peoples noses in shit so long before they decide it stinks.
Me: Well if that turns out to be the case then I will gladly conceal carry, I always follow the laws and If I am required BY LAW to do so then I will. But as it stands I carry in a manner of my choosing. My priority's are firstaccessibility second comfort and last making other people comfortable.
Officer one: Why are you trying to make people uncomfortable?
Me: I'm not but people get scared by everything, when was the last time you got a call from a little old lady saying she saw a black person walking down the road in baggy cloths and thought he may be up to no good?
Officer one: Thats not the same thing.
Me: I think it's exactly the same thing, If your dispatchers get a call like that do they send one of you out to harass the scary black guy or do they explain to the caller that the person is doing nothing illegal.
Officer one: No, thats not there job.
Me: What do the dispatchers say when people call about me?
Officer one: Usually its just a man with a gun call and a description of you.
Me: Couldn't they receive a little training in the legality of OC so you guys aren't always getting bothered with these calls.
Officer one: I don't see that happening.
Officer two: Well obviously you are not listening to what we are trying to say so....
Me ( Looking at my watch) Sounds good, I got to get to workam I free to go?
Officer one: Just, ifyou would, can I get your name so I can fill out a tiny report and I will see what can be done about this.
I gave him my name ( first last middle initial ) and birth date and continued on my way. The entire encounter lasted about seven minutes, I started out as friendly as ever but did not back down or hesitate to forcibly argue my points and correct officer two's attempt to misrepresent the law to me. their were no people standing around watching so I saw no need to feint friendliness and made no secret of the fact that I will not be intimidated into following their wishes. I was calmer and more in control of the situation than in any of my previous encounters. It did go rather well as police encounters go but I thought I was done with the F'ing Everett police department.
Watch 'em scamper back to base to report an outbreak of OC.